


Date! Start!

by jingsino



Series: issa good time [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous-Gender Frisk, Bad Jokes, Bad Puns, Child Neglect, Family, Friendship, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Language, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, friends dating friends, its date time get with it, platonic n mild sans/frisk just the way i like it, the gang has a date night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 14:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5167553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jingsino/pseuds/jingsino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A date with another human? It sounds too good to be true. But Frisk is willing to take their chances.</p><p>Hey, maybe this time, they'll get to go on an actual date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Date! Start!

**Author's Note:**

> just pretend i know how to write and this makes sense lmao. frisk is a short frustrated teenager who has a mild crush on everyone. also i use that bone zone joke again forgive me.
> 
> edit: this was originally supposed to have at least more than one chapter, but considering its been a year, its now considered COMPLETE. haha. sorry #fanficproblems

Frisk bounced their leg erratically, a string of unending thoughts, most of them curses, circling about in their head. They tapped their temple to check for sweat and only then realized they were shaking. With a hefty amount of DETERMINATION, they slammed their palms flat against the table and willed their fried nerves to relax. A few customers jumped at the sound, but the regulars at New Grillby's simply sent knowing smiles in Frisk's direction, who did their best to avoid eye contact.

They sighed. This was what they got for saving an entire race. Or maybe this was punishment for being an awful flirt with no standards when they were a preteen, which _everyone_ seemed to know about for some reason _looking at_ you _Papyrus and Undyne and Mettaton and_ —

Shit, wait. Frisk paused to fit the pieces together. They promptly buried their flushed face in their hands. _Everyone knew because the kid flirted with everyone_. That failed date with Papyrus they were kinda disappointed about, pointing the spear at Undyne and being utterly serious, typing a passionate essay about Mettaton's...everything. They tried to excuse their behavior with some half-assed lie about _Chara_ , of all things, but really, they couldn't take it back at this point, not after five years of equally amusing and embarrassing stories floating around the monster populace.

Not that any of that stuff mattered. Frisk pulled out their phone and tapped their passcode in, knowing that there would be no new notifications but still hopeful for otherwise. They clicked the 'sleep' button multiple times, checking the digital clock and facing dissatisfaction whenever a minute ticked by. They knew they were being just a tad bit ridiculous, but. _STILL_.

First actual date. With another human.

They tried to summon up all their previous experiences with romance, which wasn't exactly impressive. Two years after reaching the surface, they 'dated' Kid, the only monster they knew was their age, for a bit, but it was silly and weird because they kept idolizing Frisk, who felt that they shouldn't take advantage of their hero worship. Really, the dates more or less consisted of Kid following them around in the hallways during school. Then, Toriel tried to simulate how a proper date should go. The lesson ended early because according to Mother, there was a list of polite conversation topics to follow, and apparently the Nose Nuzzle Championships was not on that list. A certain robotic celebrity recommended at least ten different dating shows to study and review, as well as five mildly inappropriate videos instructing awkward teenagers all over the world on how to kiss. Following that, Undyne and Alphys offered to demonstrate date night, complete with anime marathons and cooking lessons and screaming. And then...

That was about it.

Of course, there was Sans' invitation to 'cruise your booter on my scooter,' but suffice to say, that was another one of the skeleton's jokes, just worse than usual. At least, Frisk hoped so. They were gonna be _so_ pissed if they had rejected a legitimate date with their favorite skelebro.

Did it even matter? Frisk checked the time again: 6:14 PM. Their date would be coming in a minute. Their _human_ date. Maybe monsterkind acted similar enough to integrate well into human society, but there were still striking differences that still left other humans hesitant to accept them with open arms. What if their date thought they were weird for hanging around with monsters? Shit, what if they thought it was cool and only liked them because of that fact? Oh God, what if they ended up dating one of Frisk's friends? That would suck, just a bit. Actually, screw that, it would suck to hell and back.

Oh yeah, did they mention it was a blind date? Some cousin of a classmate who was, in their exact words, “So cool and smart and not ugly!” Named, what was it, Joshua? Joseph? _Josephine_? Oh God, can't even remember their name—

The bell over New Grillby's entrance rang.

Perspiration gathered in Frisk's hand, leaving a damp imprint on the table. They inhaled sharply and wiped it off with the sleeve of their sweater. Lightly slapping their gross, _ugh_ , sweaty palms on their jeans, Frisk mustered up all their reserves of courage and strength and waited for the newcomer to slide into the seat in front of them.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes, ten minutes of holding their breath with only their accelerating thoughts for company, daring themself to search for a sign, yet holding back as they waited.

They patiently tried for fifteen minutes, which soon slipped into twenty.

But nobody came.

Frisk threaded their fingers through their dark hair. They combed it for this? They checked their phone again and bit their lips to hold back the sigh of disappointment. Just as they deigned to call Papyrus for a ride, an unknown number slid down the screen, accompanied by a little picture of an envelope. Frisk opened the message and didn't even finish before sending a shitty ' _k_ ' back.

They forgot. Whoever ' _they_ ' were. Frisk found that they didn't even care about their 'date's' name anymore.

Whatever, it didn't matter anyway. It wasn't like they weren't used to being forgotten about, but—no, wait, _another_ lie. They weren't used to it at all. Toriel never forgot about Frisk. Asgore never forgot about Frisk. Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, even Mettaton never forgot about Frisk. But Frisk still remembered what it felt like to be left and forgotten— _how would they have ever ended up on Mt. Ebott otherwise?_ —and while it had been years since then, it still stung to be forgotten, even if it was by some other person they never met before.

Frisk slumped into their chair and held the speed dial key assigned to Papyrus. He answered in under two rings, as always, bringing a smile onto their otherwise downcast face.

“HUMAN! THAT WAS QUICK,” he remarked brightly. “OR, DO YOU NEED DATING TIPS FROM THE LOVEMASTER PAPYRUS?”

They couldn't help but snort. “Nah, just pick me up. New Grillby's.” His loud, over-the-top voice always lifted their spirits some.

“ON IT, MY FRIEND!”

Frisk supposed they could have just walked home, but Toriel, being the absolute definition of loving mother, insisted that Papyrus be their designated driver. She did have a point, considering that at this time of the year, it was usually dark by seven.

Meanwhile, they contented themself to propping their head up with one elbow and watching the roads outside. Some cars passed by, most of them occupied by bipeds. The town had always been comprised of mostly monsters, but the human population was steadily growing. They saw Dogamy and Dogaressa, arms interlocked, beneath a bare tree. A Froggit looked both ways before rushing across the street. At each corner, half-finished piles of golden and bronze leaves were gathered and abandoned to attend to another day. They thought they spotted a Temmie in one such pile, but a second glance showed no such thing.

Soon, Papyrus pulled over in front of the restaurant. Frisk spared the remaining patrons from their peaceful silence being utterly shattered and exited as soon as the skeleton made eye contact with them. They waved and slid into the passenger's seat.

“Hey—“

“WHERE IS YOUR DATE? I WOULD LIKE TO MEET MY SUCCESSOR,” he questioned immediately.

Should they just be upfront about it? Frisk weighed the possibilities, fully aware of Papyrus' narrowed eyes.

“HM. SILENCE...”

Might as well just dive in.

“They never came,” Frisk said, shrugging lazily.

“...WHAT?” The car jolted into movement. “WHY NOT?”

“I guess they just forgot?”

“HOW?!” Papyrus gripped the wheel at this injustice and just barely remembered to stay in his lane. “HOW COULD ANYONE FORGET SOMEONE LIKE YOU?”

Frisk allowed themself to smile. Their SOUL glowed with flattery.

“YOU'RE SO GREAT! PERHAPS NOT AS GREAT AS I, BUT STILL VERY GREAT!”

“Thanks, Pap.”

“OF COURSE!” The car slowed in front of a traffic light. Just another minute of driving straight ahead and they'd be at Toriel's.

Papyrus turned left.

“Er, Papyrus?” He stopped in front of his own house. “Wrong house, haha! Ha.”

He exited the car and fixed Frisk with a heavy gaze. “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FUN TONIGHT...AND YOUR DATE FAILED YOU.”

Frisk cringed. “Oh, I'm fine, it's nothing—“

“NONSENSE! I, THE MOST PLATONIC OF SKELETONS, PAPYRUS, MUST MEND MY GOOD FRIEND'S BROKEN HEART!”

“I just wanna go home and eat, man.” The human's mouth watered as they fantasized about how many slices of Toriel's butterscotch pie they eat in one sitting.

“EAT...SPAGHETTI?” Papyrus' waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Somehow. Five years, and they still couldn't figure it out.

“Oh my _God_.”

“PERHAPS A CERTAIN MASTER CHEF'S SPAGHETTI?” He opened Frisk's door and offered his hand. “PAPYRUS' SPAGHETTI? _MY_ SPAGHETTI?”

Frisk took his hand and decided to humor him. “Fine. For someone without a heart, you—“

“HUMAN, PLEASE, MERCY,” he whined pitifully. “I'VE SPENT ALL DAY WITH MY LAZY BONES BROTHER. SPARE ME.”

They followed him into the house, where, as expected, the fragrant smell of spaghetti wafted past their nose. Over the years, Papyrus' cooking slowly progressed from uncooked, beaten, burnt, until eventually, one day, it was actually edible.

Frisk was proud, to say the least.

“SANS, THE HUMAN WANTS FOOD. GET OFF THE TABLE.” He stomped a few steps and pointed to the couch. “OFF.”

Sans hopped off the table and ambled away. “sheesh, bro, don't have to _patella_ me twice.” He winked at Frisk. “hey, kid.”

Papyrus squinted at Sans. “I'VE BEEN HEARING THAT ONE FOR AT LEAST TEN YEARS AND IT GETS WORSE EVERY TIME.” He busied himself with preparing for dinner.

Frisk flopped onto the sofa next to Sans and relished in the comfort of the skeletons' home. They pulled out their phone to send a quick text to Toriel and deleted the unknown number from their inbox. Screw them.

“so, no date?” Sans guessed accurately.

They groaned. “Nope.”

“that's too bad. see, i have a whole jar of dates right...” He picked up a jar of dates from seemingly nowhere. “...here!”

Frisk stared. “Did you plan that.”

“i always plan ahead for you, kid.” He held one out. “i guess you could say we're having a _date nut_ right now.”

“Dates are fruits.”

“let me live.”

“Fuck you,” Frisk groaned with exasperation, then dropped their straight-faced facade altogether. They couldn't fight the goofy grin on their face, nor the rising laughs in their throat.

“LANGUAGE!” Papyrus screeched from the kitchen.

“gotcha.” He smirked and pointed his fingers at them.

“Get out of my radius.” They shoved him away toward the armrest.

Sans held eye contact before sighing and dropping his head like a disappointed parent. “listen, kid, i'm gonna have to be _sternum_ with you...”

“Oh my _God_.”

“DINNER'S ON THE TABLE YOU PUN FORSAKEN—” Papyrus hooked his hand beneath Sans' hoodie and dragged him to the table.

“what's for dinner, papyrus? wait, lemme guess.” He rooted himself to the spot and scratched his chin. “alfredo.”

“SANS.”

“yeah, bro?”

“WE'RE HAVING SPAGHETTI.”

“oh, nice.”

It wasn't Toriel's freshly baked pie, but it was just fine for Frisk. They forgot about their lousy date-which-never-was and focused on their skeletal friends, who were arguing over their plates.

“i dunno, bro, this kinda looks like alfredo to me.”

“SPAGHETTI, SANS!” Papyrus rubbed his temples and turned to Frisk. “HOW'S MY COOKING, OH HUMAN?”

“It's...” Their eyes flickered to Sans. “...pastable.”

Sans slammed his fist on the table and buried his skull in his jacket, shaking with silent laughter, while Papyrus was rendered wordless. He gaped at the human before turning to finish his dish.

“I,” he started with a strange look in his eyes. “I AM...DISH-APPOINTED.”

Frisk squeaked with glee and dropped the forkful of spaghetti they had spun back onto their plate, coughs intermittent throughout their laughter. “N-Nice one, Pap!”

Sans' eyes glowed with equal amusement when he looked up. “that's my bro,” he declared. “the one and only.”

“NYEH HEH! THAT WAS OKAY.” He huffed. “NEVER AGAIN, THOUGH.”

So, date night was turning out alright, Frisk decided. They probably wouldn't be getting frisky tonight, though. Probably. They eyed Sans and remembered the whole 'booter-scooter' thing. Then Papyrus and the failed date five years ago. Then chilling with Sans immediately afterward. Absolutely scandalous! The human ambassador of the monsters, maybe infatuated with some heartless hooligans? Maybe a certain heartless hooligan? Sans? Misery?

That sounded a lot like Frisk.

They texted Toriel and pushed themselves off of the couch, where the three had been watching one of Mettaton's shows. A bead of sweat formed at their brow as they pulled their boots on.

“what's the matter, kid?”

Frisk jumped and spun around. Of course Sans was right behind them. Papyrus was too engrossed in Mettatton's outrageous antics to notice.

“Gotta get home. Y'know, stuff, mom's worried, ha, the usual!”

Sans' blank stare bore into Frisk's eyes. They averted them.

“Homework,” they offered lamely, swallowing their nervousness.

“homework,” he repeated. “during thanksgiving break?”

“Yeah...”

Sans' expression softened. “kid, if you don't wanna hang out with us, just say so. papyrus and i can manage rejection.” He tilted his head. “or is it the date?”

“It's something.”

“sounds troubling.”

Frisk laughed weakly at that. Their phone vibrated in their pocket and they winced at the message Toriel sent back.

_-MY CHILD DO NOT WALK HOME IT IS INCREDIBLY DARK_

Before they could say anything about their adventure in the Underworld, another ping sounded.

_-My apologies, I was concerned and forgot to un-caps lock. ]:( Stay with them tonight. I will see you tomorrow. I love you! Mwah! ]:)_

They couldn't just say no their mother, could they? Frisk shook their head. No they could not. They slid their boots off with defeat.

“even your mom wants you to stay,” Sans noted, standing over their shoulder to peer at the text. Even when they had just turned eighteen, they were still far too short to stand a chance against even the shorter skeleton. Hurrah.

Frisk snatched their phone to their chest and blew a raspberry.

“c'mon, kid. don't be down. you left the underworld a long time ago.” It was a lazy joke, but hey.

“And not a single date since then,” they lamented.

“really?” Sans raised an eyebrow. “kid, i told ya. it's date night.” He grabbed their wrist and led them back to the couch. “i know you got your teenage angst going on right now, but you also got us.”

“I do _not_ have teenage angst—”

“sure. now get in the bone zone.” He sat Frisk between him and Papyrus and lowered the volume of the television. “papyrus, you hear that? we're on a date—”

Papyrus grimaced. “BROTHER, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING.”

“—with frisk.”

His grimace turned into an apologetic smile. “FRISK, MY LOVE FOR YOU REMAINS THE SAME AS IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO.” He paused for dramatic effect. “PLATONIC.”

Sans hummed. “hey, fun idea, let's invite undyne and alphys, just for you, kid.”

“Sans oh my God don't bother them they're probably making out it's okay I'm satisfied okay let's watch Mettaton do whatever that is,” Frisk sputtered without filter.

His phone was already pressed against his...hearing orifice. Wherever that was. The constant grin on his face seemed even more shiteating than usual.

Frisk flipped him off.

“WHAT SIGN LANGUAGE IS THAT?” Papyrus leaned closer to the human, who was seeing how far they could sink into the depths of the cushions. They simply held up a hand and waved it up and down.

 


End file.
